By ANICK JESDANUN
AP Technology Writer

 

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple made a strong case for how you can use its upcoming Apple Watch. The device stacks up well against the competition.

If you’ve waited for the Apple Watch to decide on a smart watch, here are some things to consider in weighing whether you really need one. You’ll need an iPhone 5 or newer, while the rival watches will typically work only with Android.

Price 

Apple Watch is among the most expensive on the market. You can get an Android smart watch from Motorola or Sony for $250. You can get a high-end Samsung Gear S with its own cellular connectivity for $300 through AT&T, plus the monthly cost of a data plan.

The cheapest Apple Watch is $349, and that’s designed for fitness enthusiasts. A stainless-steel version for everyday wear starts at $549. A luxury edition with an 18-karat gold case starts at $10,000 and can cost as much as $17,000.

Dependent on the phone 

Apple Watch doesn’t have its own cellular connection. You can make and receive phone calls and messages only if your iPhone is nearby. With the exception of Samsung’s Gear S and the upcoming LG Watch Urbane LTE, most other smart watches don’t have cellular service, either.

Apple Watch also doesn’t have GPS for better distance tracking; Sony’s SmartWatch 3 and the Gear S do. Then again, GPS is rare in smart watches. Apple Watch will use your phone’s GPS to learn your running pattern and calibrate its built-in accelerometer for better tracking the next time you go for a run and leave your phone at home.

Shape 

Apple is offering different sizes, colors, materials and bands, but all of the watches have rectangular faces. Motorola’s Moto 360 and LG’s G Watch R are among those with round faces.

Apple has a good reason, though. Round faces are fine for graphical content, such as photos and maps, but they are inefficient for text. There’s a lot of wasted space on all four sides, resulting in a watch that’s bigger than it needs to be. (Another plus for Apple: All models come in a smaller size, which might fit better on women’s hands.)

Apps, apps, apps 

This is by far Apple’s biggest strength. At a recent product launch event Apple demonstrated using the watch to request a ride through Uber, open a garage door remotely using Alarm.com and bypass the front desk when checking in at a Starwood hotel. Expect a robust offering of apps when Apple Watch goes on sale next month.

With other watches, developers have been slow to release apps given how relatively few smart watches have been sold.

Mobile pay 

Apple Watch has mobile pay capabilities, as Apple Pay is integrated. Pay with a tap of your wrist at any of the nearly 700,000 locations Apple Pay is accepted. I’ve yet to see a similar capability in other smart watches, even though some have Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless technology for such payments. Samsung is coming out with its own payment service, Samsung Pay, but the Gear S doesn’t have NFC.

Battery life 

Apple says the battery should last 18 hours on a single charge. That’s less than the typical smart watch. However, few go more than 24 hours. Sony’s SmartWatch 3 is among the exceptions, promising two days. Though I didn’t always get that much, the Sony watch offered enough for me to occasionally sleep with it on. (If you’re using an app that monitors your sleep patterns, your best bet is a fitness tracker that can go several days on a charge.)

Coordination 

Many smart watches merely repeat notifications that appear on your smart device and notifications sometimes linger even after you’ve viewed them on your phone, tablet or PC. Apple says it will do a better job of coordinating that: If a notification appears on the watch, the phone in your pocket will know not to bug you with a vibration.

So, do you need Apple Watch?

Apple Watch can do a lot — more than rival watches and probably more than you need it to do — so you’ll need to decide which features and apps you’ll find convenient. Ultimately, it comes down to how willing you are to pay for that convenience.